Power to outside lamp post

[ianb1965]

Hi all

I'll be installing a lamp post in the garden about 3m from the house. Thank to the advice on here I'm ok with the actual electrical connections but as far as running the cable is concerned, is it allowable to use rubberised outdoor cable cable inside 20mm PVC conduit for burial to about 300mm or do I have to use SWA?

Thanks

Ian

 

[JohnW2]

I'll be installing a lamp post in the garden about 3m from the house. Thank to the advice on here I'm ok with the actual electrical connections but as far as running the cable is concerned, is it allowable to use rubberised outdoor cable cable inside 20mm PVC conduit for burial to about 300mm or do I have to use SWA?

To all-intents-and-purposes, your only real option for buried cable is SWA - and it needs to be at least 450mm deep, with warning tapes etc.

Kind Regards, John

 

[bernardgreen]

How big is the blade on your spade. ? Could it reach the conduit when you are gardening in the future ?

300 mm is not very deep.

Plastic conduit offers no protection to the cable inside from the blade of a spade or other metal object driven into the ground above the conduit.

Based on the needs of safe installations SWA is the best option for all buried cables where mains voltages are involved

 

[sparkwright]

And you must know how to fit the cable glands on the SWA CORRECTLY.

Also the armour must be earthed.

 

[ianb1965]

Ok - thanks guys. I was hoping to not have to use SWA - termination looks so complicated!

 

[dannyboi2003]

I used to have the same phobia thinking SWA was difficult to terminate, in reality its not you just need a little practice with an off-cut first. I found this step by step guide with pictures really useful....

http://talk.electricianforum.co.uk/topic/14843-terminating-swa-picture-guide/

 

[EFLImpudence]

A much better one on our own site:

//www.diynot.com/wiki/Electrics:SWA_gland

 

[JohnW2]

I used to have the same phobia thinking SWA was difficult to terminate, in reality its not you just need a little practice with an off-cut first.

Indeed - and, as EFLI has indicated, the step-by-step guide in this forum's wiki is very good.

In the case of something like a lamp post, the difficultly is sometimes in finding what to terminate the SWA into. Hopefully there will be accessible space within the post to house a suitable box into which to terminate the SWA, with appropriate flex/whatever going from there to the light fitting.

Kind Regards, John

 

[ianb1965]

Thanks for all your help guys - really appreciate it.

The guides are very useful and seems fairly straightforward.

John - I've checked - I should be able to get a box in the base of the lamp post.

Now - where's the "how to mix concrete" forum....

 

[sparkwright]

A 20 mm galv conduit through box may be useful if space is tight within the lampost.

Also, with reference to the guide, you may find it easier to remove that inner sheath to expose the coloured cores before fixing cable to box.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

A 20 mm galv conduit through box may be useful if space is tight within the lampost.

Or just a bracket like this, if space is really tight:

 

[westie101]

Or put the flex in earthed galvanised metal conduit!

(there is another cable that could be used but it seems folk are scared to use it in case it does not meet reguations!!

 

[sparkwright]

(there is another cable that could be used but it seems folk are scared to use it in case it does not meet reguations!!

Not...?

You mean...

...you know what...

...dare I mention it?...

 

[westie101]

Yep

that one that

the DNOs have been using for years


that complies with legislation

 

[JohnW2]

(there is another cable that could be used but it seems folk are scared to use it in case it does not meet reguations!!

I would have thought that most people would regard almost any type of cable as 'meeting regulations' within a lamp post.

Kind Regards, John